Why all the Anime?

[BarkWolfBacon]

I'm new to Online RP'ing- mostly did Tabletops for years...but whats with all the anime? Is there a section for non anime pictured Rps anywhere? I got nothing against people who like that- its just super not my thing.


But out of curiosity what is with all the anime toon picking? I mean to each their own I suppose...just curious...


For instance I found an RP that specifically said "no anime" in the RP description- how can I find more of those?

 

[twilight sparkle]

Go to slice of life, those rps dont use anime pics unless thats whats preferred.

 

[BarkWolfBacon]

Does slice of life mean there are no fantasy/Superpowered elements? 
Yea, see I'm not looking for the super duper realism, just wouldn't mind finding a fantasy/supernatural or Superpower one that used like regular fantasy art or western styled animation-


my fave (and only) I have so far is one set in X-men universe using real pictures/locations which I thought was really cool. I know I'm in the minority with my aversion to the art style, haha.

 

[SetMeFree]

You may be the minority but you're not alone! I'm with ya on it.


It may take a lot of looking around but you're bound to find fantasy/superpowered RPs that use real pictures.


While I can't say I do a lot of either, all of my RPs only use real pictures.

 

[BlacklegSanji]

just saying, but it shouldn't really be about the pictures people use for their rps, just because people say anime pictures doesn't mean you should turn away from a rp, it's more about the content of the rp than the pictures people use, that's why in my character sheets I usually say use anime, real or other forms of pictures for your appearance.

 

[BarkWolfBacon]

Personally it just breaks me out of the RP is all

 

[Auren]

I think the anime pics is just an age thing, aka the new gen coming into rping. When I first came into roleplaying, I liked using anime pics because I thought they were pretty. Plus, I watched anime all the time. *chuckles*


Anywhos, it also depends on the tone the author gives the rp. Then, its all down to preference.

 

[MattieLee]

Yeah, Anime is just getting really popular now. If you want to do a rp with realistic appearances Sci-Fi is the best place but you could also find some under fantasy a lot of the time. I personally enjoy both western and anime artstyles but it's all just preferences. A lot of the rp's on here will accept both styles.

 

[Elle Joyner]

You are NOT alone. xD I'd rather see -no- pictures then cartoons. I feel bad saying it, because I know people like anime, but it just throws me off... All I can do is picture that character as a cartoon and I can't get past that - particularly when the other characters involved are pictured with living-models. I typically ask for only live-models, and actually will find pictures FOR people if they can't locate a suitable one xD that's how much I dislike anime pics.

 

[Procculus]

It's mostly laziness on my part. Anime pictures are abundant across the internet, and if you need something catering to a certain specific category such as a redheaded swordswoman, running the search of "red_hair sword female" in various open sites will earn you millions of search results. Google itself will toss you heaps upon heaps of results. I, personally, just take one and roll with it, everything else be damned.


If I could get a western picture that's bloody great, though, that would be my go-to, no questions asked. It's just not as abundant as the overload of animu bullshit. I must reiterate, I do not enjoy using all those pictures where things are 'cute'. I prefer bleak backgrounds and colors.


As for why I don't use real people pictures, it's because I feel...a little put off. The camera positioning, lighting and the make up make everything seem so...artificial. Models are meant to be beautiful and all, but if your rp is set in a zombie apocalypse or focusing on heavy action, I doubt your character has the time to look so perfect. Also, no human can be that perfect without extensive surgery and make up. Seriously. It is rare to find natural-looking pictures on the net, especially ones not of the blurred camera visor, selfie kind.


But it just boils down to my pure amount of laziness. I hate searching through a million Google pages about models in weird dresses to find the perfect picture. Worse still is that keying in 'girl' with any other search word ever in the Google Images search will give you access to nothing but softcore. So I stick with whatever is easier and less likely to cause me to inadvertantly gouge my eyes out with a spork and pour bleach into the holes.


Also i hate people so theres that

 

[Riik]

I find the benefit of anime-style pictures is they're far easier to draw than realistic art.


I prefer to draw (or get other artist to draw for me) my own characters rather than try to find some picture on google; in fact my current avatar is a good example. I got someone on deviantART to do the line art, and I did the colouring and shading.


It feels kinda awkward for me to use a model or licenced character and whilst I would never think any less of someone else for using such a source for their characters (after all, not everyone has the time, artistic talent, access to other artists etc to get all of their characters individually drawn), at the same time, I really dislike using such content myself.

 

[J0ker]

Realistic anime? Eh, I'm okay with.


Cartoony anime? Get that outta here.

 

[Kyd Jhesus]

I find using a picture for my characters hard since I can never find a picture of a dark skin or black anime character, This is going for comic characters too. I also can't find a picture of a black model taking a picture of them just doing something. I am guessing I just suck at picture huntting.I do find bing is the best search choice for pics.

 

[firejay1]

Honestly, I do put anime pix though I don't feel like they accurately represent the characters all the time b/c 1. the character's personality ends up making the most difference in he rp. Ie. It's not that important. 2. do you know how hard it is to find realistic pictures of someone NOT yourself who fits a certain type of character in your mind? (I also try to stay away from the pro fantasy paintings, they tend to have a lot of extra stuff in the background and looking it up turns up a bunch of .... unsavory or inappropriate pictures I don't feel like sullying my eyes with). I actually end up writing out my descriptions for characters I have a very specific idea of in mind, but when I don't, I just kind of go, meh, and grab something off the net.

 

[Raneth]

I personally prefer semi-realistic art styles in pictures I use, or realistic art where they imitate real people. I use to use anime pictures as a kid, but I don't really do it anymore unless it just fits that particular roleplay or everyone else is doing it, so using a real person or different art style just seems really out of place. When it does come to real people, I'm incredibly picky because I don't want it to look like their modeling or taking a selfie. I don't really like it when they're packed in makeup, either.


Anyways, the "why" is probably just due to anime really blowing up in the last 20 years and presenting creative/unique(normally) worlds and cute characters. For me, I always imagined my own characters being set in worlds like Fullmetal Alchemist or Inuyasha, so going online and finding communities that RP'd stuff like that was a dream come true for people and mini-Raneth. I probably didn't get out of using anime pictures till about two years ago.


And when I mean semi-realistic, these are good examples.


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[Saturnity]

Hmm, I tend to use outlandish or unusual characters when it comes to fantasy/science fiction roleplaying, so I tend to just draw my own characters. My avatar is an example. It's annoying trying to match my desires in a character to a picture already on the internet, because there is almost always one tiny thing that throws me off. The detail level usually depends on my mood, and how I want my character to be represented to others. For lighter, or more unusual and alien looks I might go with a more anime-esque/cartoonish style. But for more seriously toned stories with gritty backdrops I'll often decide on a real/realistic image. It's really about immersion for me and what seems to fit more properly with the roleplay itself.

 

[horngeek]

I generally take a picture as it comes? If that makes sense. Sometimes, the character image is actually where I start from when creating a character, sometimes character image is one of the later things I take a look at.


In the latter case, I'm not exactly a good drawer, so I often just have a look and see what there is. Of course, some character I have I can't exactly find a good picture for anyway (and I don't exactly have the spare money to commission an artist).


That said, if an anime-styled picture 'fits' what I'm going for, an anime-styled picture is what I'll use.

 

[Unyielding]

what i dont understand is why a picture really matters in these rps.. I mean like we just write paragraphs, not draw comics. Shouldn't the RP be about how well you can tell a story instead of how strong your google is? (or how well you can draw)

 

[Saturnity]

what i dont understand is why a picture really matters in these rps.. I mean like we just write paragraphs, not draw comics. Shouldn't the RP be about how well you can tell a story instead of how strong your google is? (or how well you can draw)

Yes, I can understand what you're saying, but it really comes down to preference of the players and the RP moderator. Some people like to have a reference picture, not just because it's easier than writing out, but it's easier to relate to a character you can see. It kind of goes with the saying, "A picture tells a thousand words.". A lot of people want to save time and just get into the story when they write a character, so instead of writing out a massive detailed physical description, (which half the other players wouldn't want to read) they find a picture, which gives a good idea of what character they want.


In addition to this, it helps the moderator move things along by making character sheets easier to read and approve. So yes, writing is what we're doing, but we're also trying to actually get a move on in the actual story, where we find the real meat of character development.

 

[ToryD]

I tend to find myself iffy on the matter. On one hand, I find SOME anime art to be very well done and it's aesthetically pleasing to look at. On the other hand, I feel as if it deters from an adult element which I really like in my stories. Live-models put me off in this way, too. Like mentioned above, it's hard to have a post-apocalyptic/medieval/sci-fi/brutal war torn story with such perfect features. To each their own, though.


I will say my biggest pet peeve is that the anime pictures are usually associated with young characters. And I hate... I mean HATE... young characters that have a million skills and are experts at anything. I never met a 16 year old ever who was a master swordsman or kung fu behemoth. It just ain't right.

 

[Raneth]

I will say my biggest pet peeve is that the anime pictures are usually associated with young characters. And I hate... I mean HATE... young characters that have a million skills and are experts at anything. I never met a 16 year old ever who was a master swordsman or kung fu behemoth. It just ain't right.

You can thank shounen anime for that . If you watch anime, the most skilled people are usually kids or very young adults. Typically aged 13-20. It's uncommon for powerful people to be older than that. At least, in mainstream anime that is. I can tolerate it in anime and sometimes even enjoy it, but it's something I'm personally not into for RP. I like a lot of realism. Godly characters or powerhouses are a no-no for me.

 

[horngeek]

Yeah, this is a sometimes annoying tendency. The only defenite shounen I can think of that really averts it in their primary hero is Rurouni Kenshin, where the hero is in his mid-30s (and in that case, it's a definite plot point that he's been through some serious stuff).

 

[El Phantasmo]

Depends mostly on specific setting to me (I do proper TTRPGs, I haven't quite got my head round this "Slice of life" type stuff which just seems like collaborative writing in a mundane setting - then again I hate non-scifi, non-weird, non-fantasy dramas and the like. If it's "normal world" with no odd elements I find it tedious.)


Games such as Exalted, Trinity, Aberrant, Ironclaw and the like all benefit from Anime stylings (Not necessarily anime, but certain styles potentially).


Other games? Not so much. SLA Industries with anime imagery? No ta. WH40k inquisitors done in a FMA style? Go away. Vampire Masquerade/Requiem with Pokemon character portraits ... Eugh.


Strokes for folks. Whilst I'm older than some on here I don't mind anime to watch (GitS, Patlabor etc) but I'm picky about it in games.